Office of Economic Opportunity

Independent agency The Office of Economic Opportunity was created through the efforts of President Lyndon Johnson in his War on Poverty campaign, which aimed to tackle economic and racial inequality. In 1964, Johnson signed the Economic Opportunity Act, which was the legislative keystone that provided funding for the OEO as a new agency within the Office of the President. The Office administered antipoverty programs such as VISTA, Job Corps, Community Action Program, and Head Start, and it quickly became a target of both left-wing and right-wing critics of the war on poverty legislation. challenging the legality of Phillips' appointment. The Court found Phillips's appointment illegal because it failed to meet the statutory circumstances enabling the appointment of an interim director without Senate confirmation, as required by the U.S. Constitution. President Nixon's attempt to impound appropriated funds for OEO was ruled unconstitutional by Judge William B. Jones on April 11, 1973, in a case brought by Local 2677, AFGE; West Central Missouri Rural Dev. Corp.; and the National Council of OEO Locals. With the passage of the Community Service Act (CSA) in 1975, Congressional reauthorization replaced the OEO with the Community Services Administration (CSA). The new agency retained its independent status as a smaller operating agency. Reagan acted on these promises by signing the Omnibus Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1981, legislation that significantly reduced the federal deficit and funding to antipoverty agencies. On September 30, 1981, OBRA transferred functions via the Community Services Block Grant to the states and a small staff in the Office of Community Services in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in Washington, D.C., abolishing the regional offices and approximately 1000 jobs. Although CSA was dismantled, most of the agency's programs continued to be operated either by HHS or by other federal agencies. ==Impact on Native Americans==

Native Americans in the United States participated in programs initiated by the Office of Economic Opportunity after its establishment in 1964. That year, OEO Director R. Sargent Shriver contacted Dr. James Wilson to oversee a department focused on poverty in Native American Communities. Wilson accepted the role and worked on efforts aimed at increasing political representation and access to federal resources for Native American tribes. These efforts contributed to policies that allowed tribes to receive direct federal funding for community initiatives. The community action program (CAP) was a core component of the OEO, intended to coordinate local resources to address poverty. The OEO worked with the National Congress of American Indians to develop CAPs, although this collaboration sometimes conflicted with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Tribal CAPs directed funding toward programs such as Head Start, home-improvement initiatives, education, legal services, health centers, and economic-development projects. In Navajo communities, one development associated with the OEO initiative was the establishment of the Rough Rock Demonstration School. The school incorporated Navajo cultural elements within its curriculum while preparing students for broader societal contexts. Managed by the Navajo Nation, it became the first school fully controlled by a Native American tribe since the federal government assumed authority over the schools of the Five Civilized Tribes in the late 19th century. Rough Rock's creation was followed by the establishment of Navajo Community College (now Diné College) which is regarded as the first modern tribal college. Similar initiatives later contributed to the expansion of tribal colleges and universities across the United States. ==Directors, 1964–1981==

• R. Sargent Shriver 1964–1968 • Bertrand Harding 1968–1969 • Donald Rumsfeld 1969–1971 • Frank C. Carlucci 1971–1972 • Philip V. Sanchez 1972–1973 • Howard Phillips (acting) 1973–1973 • Alvin J. Arnett 1973–1974 • Bert A. Gallegos 1974–1976 • Samuel Martinez 1976–1977 • Graciela Olivarez 1977–1980 ==Notes==